What was Gandhi's childhood like?

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The young Gandhi was a small, quiet boy who disliked sports and was an average student. When he was 6 years old, Gandhi went to school in Porbandar, where he had difficulty learning to multiply. The following year, his family moved to Rajkot, where he remained a mediocre student. At the age of 13, he married Kasturbai, a girl his own age.

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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on Oct. 2, 1869 to a wealthy, high-caste family in Porbandar, India. He was the fourth child of Karamchand Gandhi, prime minister to the ruler of three small city-states, and Purtlibai Gandhi.

After marriage, the couple was very shy toward each other, and Gandhi soon became bossy and jealous.

However, he became a better student and finished high school. He was 16 when his father died. Although his childhood ambition was to study medicine, it was considered beneath his caste, and his father had persuaded him to study law before he passed.

Gandhi then went to England to earn a law degree and equip himself to take over his father's role. It was not until later in life that the name of "Mahatma," which means "great soul," was bestowed on him by the Indian people.